Don't give in
by Sanctuary Dreamer
Summary: Tonight is the night the two lovers had been anticipating, yet dreading at the same time. Their first daughter is going to be born tonight, right in thier little home. But they aren't sure if they are excactly ready for this just yet. With friends and family by thier side, both pray for a swift and easy delivery, despite the not so easy circumstances. FrUk, Mpreg


**I originally posted this one my Tumblr page a switch it was a story request. And now, months later, I decided to post it here. This story is based on a roleplay I did about a year ago. Francis and Arthur are expecting their first child together in January. The pregnancy was supposed to go smoothly. But in the sixth month, a bigger country came along and tried to invade the island (Which represented their baby.) As a result of the fighting, both of the nations of France and Britain are in a weakened state. The condition of the island will affect their conditions. But Alfred managed to recover the island and have a contract signed in order to prevent any further attacks on the island. But now he needs to keep an eye on the two fathers-to-be in order to make sure they are well, even as they are weak. Hope you like it!**

The date was January 17th. A particularly snowy day, with the ground outside covered with white and still more dissenting from the sky above. It wasn't supposed to be an eventful evening. In fact, everything had started out fairly average that day. Nothing of substance happening, just a tad bit of cleaning and spending the day with Alfred. After he had saved the island, he had stayed with Arthur and Francis to make sure nothing happened to them or the baby. There was still the threat of retaliation from the bigger nation now that Francis and Arthur were in such a weakened state, despite the treaty that was signed. So he tried to always stay close to them. And he monitored their conditions constantly to make sure nothing was out of order. The baby was due around the 31st, so there wasn't too much time left until it was born.

That evening, the three of them sat down to dinner, speaking amongst themselves. Well…Alfred was doing more of the talking anyhow, and the other two listened in. But something felt..off. Arthur could defiantly feel that something wasn't right. He was feeling a bit fatigued, despite feeling normal earlier in the day. He tried to keep up with Alfred's chatter as he ate, which wasn't normally such a problem. But today, was different. And he could see that Francis looked like he was feeling the same. He had his head facing the table and was pushing around the meat on his plate. He hadn't seemed to have touched a thing. Come to think of it, be had seemed a bit distracted around the late afternoon as well.

Arthur spoke up now. "Everything alright love?" He asked, getting Alfred's attention as well. Alfred set down his fork, his eyebrows raised. He hadn't noticed earlier, but Arthur was looking especially pale, despite having been fairly relaxed today. And Francis seemed to look a bit ill. Did that mean that something was wrong with the baby? Francis looked up at Arthur and smiled a bit.

"Yes yes. I'm fine Arthur. The baby is just kicking a lot today. It's a little uncomfortable so I don't have much appetite right now." He answered casually, resting a hand on his stomach. When it kicked him, it would occasionally bring along a dull aching, which was starting to get a bit irritating to him, but he didn't complain. "It means it's healthy. That makes me happy." He chuckled, rubbing up and down.

Alfred watched him for a moment before breathing a short sigh of relief. So she was just kicking him was all. No evident danger was present. Once Francis started feeling better, then Arthur probably would as well. Arthur scooted his chair closer and placed a hand on Francis's large stomach, feeling the baby's foot brush against his hand time and time again. "Now now, calm down little one." Arthur teased softly. "You stop giving your father grief and leave him be." He scolded, making Francis smile a bit. But when they turned to Alfred, he still seemed a bit concerned for their well beings. Francis shook his head.

"Alfred don't worry about a thing okay? Nothing is wrong. Everything is fine." He promised. He pushed back his chair and stood, grabbing his untouched plate and taking it to the counter. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night okay? Will you be joining me, Arthur?" He asked. Arthur stretched and nodded, taking his own plate to the counter as well. Francis turned to Alfred. "Good night then Alfred. If your going to be helping yourself to dessert then that's fine, but please don't eat the WHOLE tub of ice cream again." He pleaded. Alfred chuckled.

"No promises." He joked before the two of them ascended the stairs. Once in the bedroom, they changed into pajamas and got into the bed together. But Francis found himself hardly able to get comfortable. Even after they had kissed each other good night and settled down, Francis didn't keep still for a moment. He continuously shifted and turned and occasionally sighed heavily. Eventually, Arthur came closer and wrapped his arms around his lover's chest to hold him still for a moment. He reached down and began to rub at Francis's abdomen. The baby seemed to settle slightly at the pressure being placed on it but still kicked occasionally.

" _Merci._.." Francis muttered with a yawn. He was already feeling so tired, and he wasn't too sure as to why. Nothing of much substance had been performed during the day. Why was he so sleepy all of a sudden? "Good night Chere."

"Good night love," Arthur responded, kissing his cheek from behind. And after a few more moments of this embrace, the two of them fell into a somewhat restless sleep.

However, the rest was short lived. A few times throughout the night, Francis found himself waking up to aches and pains that seemed to be circulating around his lower back and abdomen. But he tried to keep still so that he didn't wake Arthur. 'This will pass soon enough.' He told himself. 'Not a big deal.' However it didn't pass, instead slowly becoming worse within the next few hours. It went from short cramps that could best be described as menstrual cramps, to a dull stomach ache, to an awful amount of pressure. The best way to describe it, was as though someone had taken their finger, and was pushing it into Francis's abdomen, each wave of pain, having it pushed in harder and harder until he could barely stand it any longer.  
He let out a short whimper of pain as he grabbed at the pillow and squeezed, his knuckles nearly white. What was going on? Was something wrong with the baby? Finally, after another wave of pain, he couldn't take it any longer and he pried Arthur's arms away from his body. As he turned to face him, he gasped as he felt a startling new sensation. It felt like something…burst, and he could feel something wet spread on the sheets. He sat up and threw back the cover. A clear liquid had spread onto the bottom of his sleeping gown and the sheets. Oh god. How could have been so stupid? That was the mucus plug.

His water had broken. That meant that the baby was going to be born TONIGHT.

He grabbed Arthur's shoulder and shook him frantically. Arthur groaned a bit in response before opening his eyes. Oh for the love of God. If Francis was waking him up for his ice cream cravings again, he was going to throttle the man, pregnant or not. But something in the way Francis was looking at him told him that that wasn't the case. Arthur sat up and looked at Francis. "Hey. What's wrong Francis? Is it the baby again?" He asked, feeling a bit anxious. Francis nodded, biting his lip.

"Arthur those weren't cramps I was feeling earlier. Those were contractions. My water just broke." He stated nervously. "The baby is coming Arthur. Now." Arthur's eyes widened as his eyebrows slowly crawled up his head. He grabbed Francis's hands in his own and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Francis. This baby isn't due for a few more weeks. If this is a joke, then I do not appreciate it in the slightest. Please tell me now. Are you pulling my leg?"

"Why would I do that?" Francis responded a bit hurt that he thought Francis was joking. "Arthur I…ngh.." he paused, that awful sensation slowly coming back. He brought Arthur's hands that were holding his own, up to his face as he rode out the contraction, trembling slightly as he squeezed them. As this happened, Arthur watched him, slowly piecing it together. Francis was not lying. He was in labor. And the baby was about to be born. He didn't say anything and just waiting for the pain to fade away. Once it had, Francis looked up at him fearfully. "Do you believe me now?" He asked. Arthur quickly nodded and squeezed back before getting off the bed and going around to Francis's side of the bed.

"Alright, I'm going to let Alfred know alright? Then I'll have him call the midwife alright?" Arthur told him, trying not to sound as frantic as he felt. They had decided in the end to deliver the baby at home for a few reasons. Arthur absolute loathed hospitals and Francis felt like it wouldn't do any good to make him be in a hospital with him. Yao had informed them that he had actually delivered a few babies in his time and found no problem in delivering another one. Also, being in a hospital felt a tad bit pointless. They didn't know much about nations, so they wouldn't exactly be able to do much if something went wrong for either father. So they had agreed to have the baby at home. They both knew the risks and they both had taken it carefully under consideration. If something happened, then Yao might not have what was needed to solve the problem at hand. But at this point, they had to take their chances. Arthur planted a kiss to Francis's forehead before hurrying from the room and to the guest room next door.

Alfred was in the bed, on his side and squeezing his pillow. He had a bit of a goofy smile in his face as he muttered, "Nooo. That's my dog.." Arthur probably would have laughed if the moment hadn't been so serious. He grabbed Alfred's arms and shook him away, getting an unhappy groan in return as he turned over.

"Alfred you fobbish twit, wake up!" Arthur demanded. Alfred groaned and sat up, his hair sticking up slightly. He blinked a few times before seeing that Arthur was standing before him, waiting impatiently for him to wake up. "You need to wake up Alfred, and fast." Upon hearing his concerned tone, he immediately seemed to wake up much faster. Arthur grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bed. "Listen carefully, Alfred. Please just don't panic." He instructed, seeing as how Alfred had the tendency to do so. "Go call Yao and tell him to come over now okay? The baby is coming early and we need him over here. Do you understand?" Alfred was defiantly shocked. He quickly nodded and jumped from the bed, grabbing his phone from the nightstand as he began to dial. As the phone rang, he looked at Arthur.

"You feeling okay dude?" He asked. Arthur was looking even paler than before. This was what had been worrying him the most. That the birth of the baby would have such an effect on him. After the cord was cut, then the nations wouldn't be as affected by her any longer and their health was more dependent on what they did. But that meant during the birth, the two of them would defiantly be battered down. It was especially concerning because if Francis was already a bit tired, then it would take even longer for her to arrive.

"I'm fine Alfred. Just do as I asked, understand?" He told him before exiting the room. He then hurried back to the bedroom. Francis was currently on his feet, one hand on his stomach, and the other on his lower back. He was taking short paces about the room, murmuring softly as he ran his hand up and down his stomach. "Dear, don't you think you should be lying down?" Arthur asked, ready to lie him back down if he needed assistance. While he had been informed to call the midwife as soon as Francis had gone into labor and what to do during the birth, he had never really been told what to do BEFORE Yao arrived. So he was a bit of a mess right now.

"No no. Pacing like this helps to distract me a bit and relieves the pain just a bit as well." He answered, not really looking at Arthur. Well if it helped then that was a good thing, correct? So he decided not to interfere and just let him pace. He walked alongside Francis, speaking with him to distract him a bit. When the contractions came, Francis would lean against the wall or the bed frame in order to ride it out and wait to be stabilized. When he would stop, Arthur would stand by his side, pressing his hands into Francis's lower back to ease the pressure a bit. Alfred sure was taking quite a while to call Yao. What could be taking him so long? Were they talking about something else? He had better hurry up. He turned around and was about to go to Alfred's room to give him what for when he heard Francis whimper and then heard a soft thud. He turned around to see that Francis had sunk to his knees as he kept his arms firmly around his stomach, as though to protect it. Arthur hurried to his side and kneeled down next to him.

"Francis, what's happening? Talk to me love." He asked, holding his shoulders. Francis panted a bit as the pain reached its peak and then breathed out deeply once it had passed. He looked up at Arthur with a shaky smile.

"I'm okay Arthur. It just…took me by surprise is all." He panted. He grabbed Arthur's hand and rose to his feet slowly with Arthur's assistance. "I'm alright now." He promised. Arthur kept his arm around Francis to make sure he didn't fall. "Would you be so kind as to assist me back to the bed please?" He requested. Arthur nodded and walked slowly as he helped him back to the bed and had him sit down. Francis muttered a thank you as he went to lie down. He was already feeling drained but he knew that he couldn't rest just yet. There was still quite a lot to do. But he just needed a few moments. He lie on his side with a heavy sigh, keeping one arm around his belly. As Arthur pulled over the covers to cover Francis's body, Alfred quickly came in. He had his phone back in his pocket and was dragging in two chairs.

"What in the world took you so long?" Arthur demanded as he held Francis's hand.

"Sorry dude. It took me forever to call everyone. I had to make the conversations as short as I could, which wasn't easy. Trust me." He pulled one of the chairs over to Arthur and placed it by Francis's bedside.

As Arthur sat, he stared at him suspiciously. "What do you mean 'everyone?' I only told you to call Yao." Alfred rubbed the back of his neck, a sign that he did something that he wasn't supposed to.

"Well see here's the thing. I DID call Yao. But then I thought that I ought to tell Kiku. And while I was at it…I kinda called Alistar, Carter, and Matthew. And..there all on their way right now." He admitted. Arthur huffed and shot to his feet.

"Alfred you-!" He began to scold but stumbled. He stood up much too quickly and became light headed. Alfred quickly grabbed his shoulders and had him sit down. He held him there firmly as Francis reached out and took his hand with a squeeze. Arthur sighed heavily before looking up at Alfred. "Why did you invite so many people? That's way too many." He said angrily.

"Well I mean, it's not like I could tell them AFTER the baby was born. That wouldn't be fair to them. And anyway it's too late now." Arthur opened his mouth to protest but stopped when he heard Francis moan and squeeze his hand. Arthur shook his head at the American before turning to Francis. He had gone a bit pale and was squeezing Arthur's hand as his face twisted in pain. His other hand had been placed tightly over his eyes. Arthur softly squeezed back, as though to assure him that he was right there. Once Francis had relaxed, breathing out heavily, Arthur grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and wiped the sweat that was beginning to bead at Francis's forehead. As he tended to Francis, Alfred took the other chair and brought it over next to Arthur and sat with him.

For the next half an hour, things seemed to move at a snail's pace as they waited. Francis's contractions slowly but surely became longer and closer together. And each was worse than the one before. Arthur hated having to watch this go on. But he needed to be there for him. He rubbed his thumb into the palm of Francis' hand. "Everything is going to be alright Luv. Just hang in there." He assured him. Francis looked up at him, his eyes brimming with tears of pain. He managed to give him a weak smile.

"Of course it will be. I have you by my side, do I not?" He said softly. "I just hope our baby is born safely and is as healthy as can be." Arthur didn't know how to respond. He only kissed the back of Francis's shaky hand. Arthur didn't know how to help the pain be at least a little more bearable. Perhaps he could try magic. But he didn't know if it would have a negative effect on their child. So he opted against it.

After what felt like a century, a loud knocking was heard at the door. Alfred jumped to his feet and rushed to the door. A few moments later, the room became flooded with people. Each person, except for Kiku, came rushing into the room. Kiku was back at his home in Japan and even if he took a plane now, he likely wouldn't be there in time for the birth. However, the others had been residing in France for the time being in anticipation of today. Alistar and Carter immediately went to Arthur and kneeled in front of him, congratulating him on the new baby. Matthew went to the other side of Francis's bed that wasn't occupied and took his hand, softly congratulating him as well. And Yao went to the end of the bed and had Alfred lift the blanket for him while he checked to see how far along Francis was and how everything looked. As this went on, Alfred continuously narrated everything. "God this is crazy. Isn't this crazy? Cause I think it's pretty fucking crazy!"

Francis wasn't exactly a big fan of all the commotion. Everyone in the room at once while he was exposed and in pain wasn't exactly how he planned on giving birth. And Arthur was starting to feel rather overwhelmed. Especially with Alistar and Carter barraging him with questions and concerned hands all over him. Thankfully Yao seemed to sense the discomfort of the two and looked up. "Aiya! You all need to calm down!" He ordered them. "All this noise and chaos is not good for the mother. Now I need you all to listen to me." The others fell silent, the only sound being a soft, stifled moan from the French man. Yao nodded and turned to Alfred as he lowered the blankets. "I need you to find me three towels and a small blanket." He instructed. Then to Matthew. "Matthew please bring me a pair of clean, sharp scissors." Then to the brothers. "And you two. I need a basin of warm water, a smaller bowl, and two washcloths." After giving his orders, the four of them departed to get what was asked for, leaving the three of them alone finally.

Yao stood and kneeled at the bedside in front of Arthur, and gave him a gentle smile. "And you have a very important job as well." He placed his own thin hand on top of Arthur and Francis's hand. "I need you to support the mother as best you can. Whatever you need to do." He told him. He frowned slightly. "I've already been informed of your condition and how the birth will be affecting you as well. If you start feeling light-headed or faint, then there is nothing wrong with leaving the room if you need to. I imagine you don't want to faint in here correct? So just have one of your brothers assist you from the room. Okay?" Arthur nodded and Yao smiled once more. "Alright then."

He finally then turned his attention to Francis, who had started to breath quicker and squeeze his eyes shut as another painful contraction came along. "You are doing fine Francis. Just breath. Pant, pant, blow." He instructed softly. "It will help you manage the pain a little better…yes just like that." He said, patting his shoulder. "Not much longer now and we can begin delivering the baby. Labor seems to be moving a bit quicker then I thought it might. It seems your baby wants to see you just as much as you want to see it." Yao joked, earning a small but forced laugh from Francis before he moaned about move again as the pain continued to escalate. Yao and Arthur silently encouraged him along until the bedroom door opened once more. The others had come back, each with the items that had been asked of them.  
Once he had what was needed, Yao began to set up. He took the first towel and had Francis lift his hips so that he could slide it under him. Then he filled the smaller bowl with water from the water basin. He placed the bowl on the nightstand next to Arthur. He dampened one of the washcloths and made sure it was wrung out, before brushing Francis's bangs back and placing it over his forehead. He instructed Arthur to re-wet the cloth occasionally when it became too dry or cold. The other cloth, Yao said, was for Arthur. If he started feeling a bit ill, then he was told to do the same to himself, placing the cloth over his head or his eyes to help him relax a bit. Finally, he returned to the end of the bed, folding the towels and blanket beside him, and putting the scissors on top of the folded pile. The basin of water rested on his other side. "Alright. You may all stay if you must. But please do not crowd the mother or the father." He instructed. "If you start to get rowdy then you will be leaving, understand?" The others were more than happy to oblige. "Good."

He had Alfred lift the blanket for him once more and peered underneath the blankets again. "Not much longer now." He said. Francis was tempted to point out that he had already said that earlier but decided against it. Instead, he just tried to get through it without crying or making a fool of himself. But as the contractions got longer, it began to just feel like one long twist of pain, giving him hardly any time to catch his breath before the next one started. He moaned loudly and his back arched slightly as he had a vise grip on Arthur's hand. It was agony. "I feel like…I'm dying.." he panted as the pain lessened for a moment. Arthur squeezed his hand tightly.

"Don't you dare say that Francis! You are not dying. Everything is going to be fine! The baby will come and we're going to be parents again." Before he could stop himself, tears began to fill Arthur's eyes as he thought back to the nightmare that had plagued him before. The one where he lost his lover. But he wasn't going to let him go so easily. "We're going to be a happy family together. And you're not going anywhere. Just like you promised, right? Right, Francis?" He couldn't bear the thought of losing the man he had loved for so long, especially at a time that was supposed to be the happiest moment of their life. Francis turned his head so that his cheek was on the pillow and he was looking at Arthur. His face was nearly white but his cheeks were flushed red with the effort. Sweat had beaded on his forehead and his half-lidded eyes were filled with tears that were streaming down his cheeks now. He looked so ill. He swallowed thickly and smiled up at Arthur.

"Of course.." he managed between pants. "I would never..break my promises." He said softly. "We will be fathers…and have our family together."

"And a bloody good family it will be." Arthur finished, sniffling a bit. He adjusted his hold on his hand so that their fingers were intertwined, rather than having Francis's fingers wrapped around his hand. It would probably be a bit more painful for Arthur when it was squeezed, but that didn't matter at this point. So long as they could hold each other's hands in the way that they always did. It didn't help that Matthew had suddenly burst into tears in the background as he watched this touching moment between the two lovers. Nobody said anything, opting to let them have their moment. Arthur continued to murmur things, even when Francis would start moaning again. And occasionally, Francis would speak as well, with broken sentences and sobs.

Yao gently pat Francis's thigh. "I hate to interrupt you two. However, I believe Francis is fully dilated. We can get started now. You will get to see your baby very soon." He promised. Francis and Arthur exchanged a nervous look before looking back to Yao. "Don't worry about a thing you two. Everything is going to be alright." Yao assured them, not really looking their way as he spread Francis's legs apart and had Alfred lift the blanket for him once more. "Okay, Francis. Your next contractions shouldn't be too far away now. As soon as you feel it, then please begin pushing." Yao instructed softly. "And remember to keep breathing in the way that I showed you." Francis pursed his lips and nodded a bit. And once the next contraction came about, he bore down, squeezing onto Arthur tightly.

And it continued like this for the longest time. When the pain came, he would push as hard as he could. But it was evident that he was worn. Eventually, he stopped pushing for the duration of a whole contraction, only going halfway before stopping and crying. And Arthur started feeling just as worn down. The baby was in distress, and it was affecting Arthur as well. His hand began to shake, only becoming still when it was squeezed. A few times, Yao called out his name, snapping him back to attention. Ah. His mind was feeling awfully clouded. He could feel a pair of hands grab his shoulders. He blinked and looked up to see Alistar staring down at him.

"Arthur. Yer looking a might pale lad. Maybe you ought to go lay down in the guest room." He suggested. Arthur shook his head.

"I can't. I have to stay. This is my baby being born." He said softly. "I have to stay. Don't make me leave." Alistar turned and looked at Carter, who shrugged unsurely. He turned back to Arthur's whose head had started to fall slightly. Alistar quickly pat his cheek to rose him once more.

"Come on Arthur. You can't stay right now. I promise Carter will come and get you when it's over. And I'll stay right by your side until then." Arthur sighed, unsure of what to say. He couldn't leave Francis, but he felt as though he was going to faint at this point. He felt Alistar take the hand that was holding onto Francis's and start to pry it loose. Upon trying to loosen their fingers, Francis gripped tighter, more tears escaping his eyes. Arthur looked at him and Francis wasn't able to say a thing. His eyes just seemed to say, 'Please don't go. I need you here.' But a moment later, Arthur's somewhat limp fingers were pried away and Arthur was lifted to his feet.

"Alistar, please. I can't leave now I have to stay…" he insisted. But even as he spoke, he found himself clutching onto Alistar's arms, desperately trying to keep his balance. "But my baby.." he winced when Francis let out a wail. "Please I…" he slumped a bit, unable to stand on his one. His baby was suffering. His lover was suffering. And he himself was suffering. And he was just feeling oh so overwhelmed and he didn't know what he was supposed to do at this point. He clung tightly to Alistar as his vision began to fade. The last thing he heard was his lovers' cries of pain before he completely passed out.

As Arthur was carried from the room, Francis trembled, his hand reaching out for him. "No…nonono, please. I want him here..with me." He pleaded, arching his back. " _Mon Dieu_ I can't! I can't do it!" He cried. "Not without Arthur." He sobbed out, his empty hand now grabbing the sheets and twisting them as the pain wracked through his body. Yao tried to encourage him along, but by this point, Francis had completely lost hope and was just a mess of tears. Alfred huffed and dropped the blanket. He knew he had to do something, and fast. He went to Francis's side and grabbed his hand, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Francis listen to me." He demanded. "You need to stop that right now. Look at yourself!" He yelled at him. "You been through a lot in your long life and have come so close to losing that life. Well, this isn't one of those times. You're going to bring a new life into this world Francis, either you think you can or you can't. And you need to understand this." He squeezed his hand tightly. "The longer you keep this mindset, then the longer Avery suffers. And the longer Avery suffers, the longer Arthur suffers. Is that what you want?"

"Alfred.." Matthew sniffled, trying to make his brother calm down, but he didn't listen.

"You need to realize that you're not the only one suffering right now, you got it? Now come on. I know you can do it." His expression softened and he smiled slightly. "So don't give up on us okay?" Francis stared at him. He didn't know that such a young nation could be so..motivating. But he nodded.

"I understand."

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he had been out. All he knew was that once he woke up, he felt..better. It was a bit hard to explain. He was still awfully tired. But it felt as though the elephant sitting on his chest had been lifted. Like he was well again. And he wasn't too sure why. He turned his head to see Alistar sitting at his bedside, waiting. He turned to look at Arthur. "Ah! How are ye feeling lad?" He asked.

"Better," he responded his voice a bit tired sounding. He blinked a few times, trying to remember what had happened. And a second later, he shot up into a seated position. He turned to look at Alistar. "My baby..is-" he was cut off by the door opening. Carter was standing in the doorway, his eyes wide. The two brothers stared at the teary-eyed man, whose face broke into a wide smile as he looked at Arthur.

"It's a girl.." was all he could say. Arthur just stared, not really positive he was hearing him right. But a second later, he practically launched from the bed, showing Carter out of the way and hurried to the bedroom. He threw open the door, his brothers following suite and quickly scanned the scene, ignoring the spinning sensation. Yao was kneeling down in front of the warm basin of water, Alfred right by his side. Yao was dipping one of the wash clothes into the water and then wringing it out. And Alfred…in his arms was what Arthur had been waiting to see for so long. A tiny, pink-faced baby girl. She was squirming in Alfred's grip, covered slightly with a towel, as Yao wiped off her face and body with the damp cloth. She was crying, but not as loudly as she might have. It sounded more like a mewling noise. She was so teensy. And Arthur found new tears welling in his eyes.

He approached them and kneeled down, getting their attention. Yao smiled at him as he finished cleaning her up. "Congratulations Arthur. It's a beautiful little girl." He set the cloth down and took the baby now. Yao grabbed the baby's blanket and wrapped her up snugly in it before handing her to Arthur. Arthur reached out and took her into his arms, supporting her head like he had been taught before. She was so beautiful. She had ten fingers and toes and was as pink as could be. She had a bit of blonde fuzz on her head, and when she opened her eyes, he had to bite back a sob. Her eyes. They were a brilliant green, just like his own.

"H-hello there," Arthur said softly as he cradled her. "I'm your daddy little one. A little girl..so that would make your name…Avery. Avery Ramona Kirkland. Or…would it be Avery Ramona Bonnefoy?" He said to her, rocking her. "Goodness, I just don't know. Oh, my darling girl your so beautiful." He sobbed. "And daddy loves you so so much. More then you'll ever know. He was waiting so long for you to come. Your other daddy was too…" and he froze. He looked up to the bed now, having nearly forgotten about his lover, the one who had labored away on his own, without Arthur there to witness it. Matthew was at his bedside, holding his hand firmly as he cried into it. Arthur's heart sunk into his stomach. He..he wasn't…he couldn't be…

He stood and went to him, and Matthew quickly moved out of the way. Arthur shifted Avery to one arm and grabbed at Francis's hand with the other. "Hey there..it's time to open your eyes love. It's time to..to see our baby." He sniffled. Francis's skin was a milky white and his cheeks were stained with tears. And if it weren't for his chest moving up and down ever so slowly, he would have been sure that Francis was dead. After a moment, Francis opened his eyes, much to Arthur's relief. A few unshed tears of pain rolled down his cheeks.

"Arthur..." he said softly. His eyes fell on Avery and widened. "Our baby..is she well?" He asked. His voice was a tad horse from his continuous crying, but a smile had appeared on his face. Arthur nodded frantically.

"Yes, my dear. And she's as beautiful as can be!" He promised. Francis's smile became a bit wider.

"I'm so glad." He said. "I want to see her. I want to see our precious daughter." He pulled his arms back and attempted to pull himself onto his elbows, but fell back a moment later, hardly able to even lift his head. Delivering the baby, who had already been putting much pressure on his body, had defiantly taken a toll on him.

"Please just be still…" Arthur encouraged. He went around to the other side of the bed and crawled in with him. He lie on his side and placed the small baby in between them. Francis turned his head the other way and the moment he saw her face, he fell in love.

"Oh, Arthur." He whispered out, tears pouring from his eyes. "She's so beautiful." When her eyes opened, he let out a sob. "Her eyes..they look just like your's Arthur." He said. "I'm so glad. I've always loved your eyes." He looked her over, turning onto his side and placing one hand on her chest. He chuckled softly. "And her eyebrows look normal. That's good." He teased.

"Quiet you," Arthur said back, wiping at his eyes. He placed his hand on top of Francis's hand. "You did so well Francis." He praised.

Francis chuckled. "So did you, Arthur. You did so well." He said softly. Arthur leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Francis chuckled and fell silent as he admired Avery a bit more.

"Tired?"

"More then I've ever been.."

Alfred took this as his cue. He came over and took the now sleeping girl into his arms, despite Francis's initial protests. "You two oughta rest now okay? I'll watch over Avery for now. Just..rest okay?" He sniffled and chuckled. "I'm a big brother." He said happily. Arthur smiled back at him happily. Alfred approached Yao with the baby in his arms and Yao pat his shoulder. He looked up at the others.

"I think it's time for us to leave," Yao announced. He escorted the others from the room before approaching the new parents quickly. "Congratulations you two." He praised. He gave a quick look over and smiled once more. "I'll have Alfred stay with you two for a little while okay? Arthur, you may need to take over for a little bit once you wake up. Francis's body took a bit of a beating so I want him to rest for a bit okay? However, I understand that you had quite a bit taken out of you as well, which is why I'm having Alfred stay with you two okay?" Arthur nodded and scooted closer to Francis, putting an arm around him. "Please, don't push yourself any harder then you need to okay Arthur? I know how you get sometimes." Yao told him. He then placed a hand on Francis's shoulder. "Get some rest alright? You've done an amazing job and Avery is absolutely perfect." He gave the parents a final smile before leaving the room, both engulfed in silence.

The silence was only there for a second before Arthur could hear Francis sniffle. He chuckled and stroked Francis's hair, pulling him close. "Hey now. Why are you crying now?" He asked softly.

"I'm just so happy.." Francis responded with a sob. "We have a daughter Arthur. One that we made ourselves with all our love. Oh God, Arthur…" he cried into his chest. Arthur just stroked his hair and shushed him.

"Come now love. You ought to rest. We've been through quite a bit and tomorrow's a new day isn't it?….Francis?" He pulled back a bit to look at him and smiled. He had practically cried himself to sleep. Silly frog. Arthur yawned and nuzzled into Francis's hair, his mind still reeling a bit. They were parents.

And there was no better feeling in the world.


End file.
